With about 5 minutes of baking time left for the cake, start making the proverbial – and literal- icing on the cake.

Combine some butter, cocoa, and milk in a medium saucepan (just rinse out the one you used earlier!) and bring to a boil… Remove from the heat and stir in a box of powdered sugar until the mixture is combined and smooth. Stir in a little vanilla and some chopped pecans, then pour the whole thing over the hot cake — pronto!

(Since this is kind of a cooked icing of sorts, it will harden quickly, hence the need to pour it on the cake muy rápidamente… instead of using a spatula to spread, swirl the pan around a bit to make sure all the corners are covered!)

The next crucial step is to place the cooling cake strategically in your kitchen… positioned perhaps on the stove or the obscure back of your counter. This slyness exudes the effortless charm this cake is all about….

i.e. company visits –> your house smells like Willy Wonka has taken over –> “What is that? It smells sooo good!” –> “Oh, you mean this crazy delicious chocolate thing sitting back here unassumingly? Just something I whipped up!”

#marthamoment

Seriously, though, whoever you serve this to will feel totally special. And loved. And full.

Mix flour and sugar in a large bowl. In a medium saucepan, combine butter, water, and cocoa over medium heat. Bring mixture to a boil and pour over the flour/sugar mixture. Mix well. Add eggs, buttermilk, baking soda, and vanilla. Pour into a well-greased 9×13 pan, and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

In a medium saucepan, combine butter, milk, and cocoa and bring mixture to a boil. Remove from heat and add powdered sugar, stirring well with a whisk or wooden spoon until the sugar melts and the mixture is smooth. Stir in vanilla and pecans, then pour over hot cake.

That looks devastating :D. Really delicious and moist. Impressively quick – I adore making fudge cake tray bakes – one can just combine the ingredients in a food processor and one ends up with a delicious cake! Great post.

Alice, I’ve been making this for years. It’s my “go to” in a pinch when I have to take a dessert somewhere. I found a very similar recipe for Peanut Butter Cake on Pinterest doing the same thing — butter, water & peanut butter (instead of chocolate) in a saucepan, etc. Your cake looks beautiful!

[…] it be fun to leave the family a cake? But I had only 45 minutes till time to go. Found this thirty minute chocolate fudge cake recipe on the web, stirred it up in less than fifteen and had it in the oven with just a few minutes to […]